Procurement Compliance Bulletin 10.20.2022

Governor's Office of Small, Minority & Women Business Affairs

Procurement Compliance Bulletin

10.20.2022

open for business MD

As the Seasons Change

Annapolis in the Fall

As the seasons transition from Summer to Fall, this time  of year brings along with it the beauty of leaves changing colors and pumpkin-spiced everything from drinks to donuts. It is a beautiful sight and sip to behold! This time also presents an opportunity to reflect on the past year. With approximately two months and 11 days (but who's counting!) remaining in 2022.  We are only a "stone's throw away" from welcoming 2023 and the second half of the fiscal year. With the recent submission of your SBR/MBE/VSBE Annual Reports, consider a few things.

  • Are there any changes or opportunities that your agency/department needs to consider during this season to enhance their participation within these programs?
  • During the first three months of this FY2023, has your office directly solicitated SBR/MBE/VSBE vendors?

Let's take a moment to reflect and prepare to make the remaining two quarters even better than before!


SBR, MBE and VSBE Liaison Training (Virtual)

October 4, 2022

Liaison Training was a full-day combined session covering the SBR, MBE and VSBE programs.  

Our entire GOSBA team wants to thank each and every one of our attendees for supporting this marathon training session. Although it was a long day, it was also one of the most well attended that we have ever hosted. We appreciated your presence, questions, and input throughout the presentations. We hope you were able to gain valuable information to help increase SBR, MBE, and VSBE participation. Always remember that both you and our vendors are vital pieces to the puzzle and without your collaboration, something would just be missing! 

In regards to your responses from the Training Session Exit Survey, we heard your opinions and will aim to keep a majority of these sessions separate, with SBR, MBE and VSBE on different days.

You can now access the recording and slide deck online in the SBR, MBE or VSBE Reporting Toolkits. 


MBE Program

The Annual Reporting period closed on September 30, 2022

FY2022 MBE Annual reports are now overdue. If you have not turned in this very important data, please do so or contact our office to provide an update. The MBE Annual report should contain data from July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022. Instructions and templates are available in the MBE Reporting Toolkit

 

FY2023 1st Quarter Reports are due soon

MBE Quarterly report data is cumulative. The First Quarter report covers July 1, 2022 - September 30, 2022 and is due no later than 30 days following the quarter being reported. Quarterly Report instructions and templates are available in the MBE Reporting Toolkit. 

For questions about the MBE Program, or to be added to the
MBE Liaison Training calendar invitations, email
Nichelle Johnson at nichelle.johnson1@maryland.gov or
Karen Reyes at karen.reyes@maryland.gov


SBR Program Reporting

FY2022 Annual Reports are past due

SBR Annual Reports were due on September 30th and should contain data from July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022. Annual report instructions and templates are available in the SBR Reporting Toolkit. If you have not submitted your agency's report, please do so immediately or contact the SBR Compliance Managers with a status update.

FY2023 1st Quarter Reports are due soon

SBR Quarterly report data is cumulative. The First Quarter report covers July 1, 2022 - September 30, 2022 and is due no later than 30 days following the quarter being reported. Quarterly Report instructions and templates are available in the SBR Reporting Toolkit. 

For any questions about the SBR Program, Reports, or to be added to the
SBR Liaison Training calendar invitations, email
Lisa Mitchell Sennaar at lisa.sennaar@maryland.gov or
Tanita Johnson at tanita.johnson1@maryland.gov


VSBE Program

Confirmation of VSBE Program Certification

eMMA is the exclusive platform to use when verifying that a veteran vendor is certified in the state’s VSBE Program (the “VSBE Certification #” field must be populated and the “VSBE Expiration Date” must be valid). For many seasoned procurement officers, using eMMA for this purpose is a change and requires modifying current behaviors away from the VetBiz platform. Please be conscientious of this change. We know you will work hard to include VSBE vendors, and want to ensure you are able to count the work of the veteran vendors you engage.

If you have any questions or concerns when verifying VSBE Program certification,
please call or email Danielle Davis at danielle.davis2@maryland.gov.

Kudos

On November 9, 2022, our office is hosting the state's first inaugural Veteran-Owned Small Business Enterprise (VSBE) Appreciation Luncheon at Live! Casino. Thank you to all the agencies/VSBE Liaisons that volunteered and agencies that are donating for our goodie bags.

  • Maryland Military Department - Shareda Holifield
  • Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration - Michele Kelly
  • Maryland Department of General Services - Carla Thompson
  • Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services - Shawana Blackston 

Are you looking for an outreach opportunity?
A few seats remain for resource tables. If interested, please email
Danielle.Davis2@maryland.gov as soon as possible.

New VSBE Form Updates

Updated Veteran-Owned Small Business Enterprise (VSBE) Forms (Attachment Series E) were posted to the procurement website on September 1, 2022. They can be found under the Procurement Solicitation Attachments and Appendices section.

 

FY 2022 Annual Reporting period began on July 1, 2022 

VSBE Annual Report instructions and templates are available in the VSBE Reporting Toolkit. Please take the time to review the FY2022 VSBE Reporting Manual as there have been some important updates. 

The VSBE Annual Report was due October 1st and should contain data from July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022. If your agency has not yet reported, please do so immediately contact the VSBE Compliance Manager with a status update.

For any questions regarding the VSBE Program, or to be added to the
VSBE Liaison Training calendar invitations, email
 Danielle Davis at danielle.davis2@maryland.gov.


Mandatory Surveys from the House Appropriations Committee

Agency MBE Participation Attainment Survey

The 2022 Agency MBE Participation Attainment Survey, mandated by the House Appropriations Committee will close on October 31, 2022.

  • Liaisons will need to collaborate with procurement directors to provide accurate and scrubbed FY22 MBE Annual procurement data for the survey.

Agency Liaison Survey

  • A new Agency Liaison Survey will launch on November 1, 2022.
  • The survey will remain open for two weeks and will close on November 15, 2022.
  • This survey is collecting data about agency liaison vacancies and the duties of MBE and SBR liaisons.

Submission of these surveys are required and agencies who fail to submit the requested data by the due date will be reported as non-responsive to the Committee. No extension can be granted.

Questions about the surveys may be directed to
MBE Compliance Manager, Nichelle Johnson at
nichelle.johnson1@maryland.gov or 410-697-9605.


Quarterly Compliance Call 

The next Compliance Call is scheduled for December 8, 2022, 10 am - 12 noon. A calendar invite will be sent soon.

GOSBA hosts a compliance call each quarter to address issues impacting how the SBR, MBE, and VSBE procurement programs are implemented by the participating state agencies and department. Topics for discussion come from you, our liaisons and procurement officers. We discuss them in an open and transparent forum so we can all learn from one another.  Our December call will include topics on best practices, reporting corrections/findings and quarterly reporting. 

If you have additional topics to be covered, please email them no later than November 24th to compliance.gosba@maryland.gov.

For questions about the compliance call, please email lisa.sennaar@maryland.gov or nichelle.johnson1@maryland.gov.

If you do not wish to attend any upcoming meetings, simply decline the meeting invitation.


Thank you to the 62 agencies that 
submitted your FY2023 Procurement Forecast.

The statewide procurement forecast is one of the most powerful tools available to our small business vendor community. It is published on the GOSBA website and actively promoted at outreach events, training programs and one-on-one vendor sessions. If you haven't already done so, visit the site to view agency submissions.  Procurement Forecast Portal

For any questions regarding the Procurement Forecast, email
Lisa Mitchell Sennaar at lisa.sennaar@maryland.gov.


Ahead in FY2023...

SAVE THESE DATES:

Quarterly Compliance Calls (10 am - 12 noon)
December 8, 2022

SBR/MBE/VSBE Liaison Trainings 
February 9, 2023 (virtual)